Content Delivery
The Railroad Comes to Town
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CSCOPE: Grade 07 Social Studies Unit 09 Exemplar Lesson 01: Cotton, Cattle, and Railroads
Hill County Component
Based on Heart of Texas Tales Website
Sub-Lesson: The Role of Railroads in the Expansion of the Texas Frontier
Specifically: Development of Hill County
Content Delivery
Background: Class can read narrative on Railroads taken from the corresponding the CSCOPE lesson.
Interactive Lecture: As students do a group oral reading of certain sections of the HoTT website pages that
correspond to the targeted lesson, teacher organizes notes on an overhead transparency projected at the front of
the room, or on the white board. Teacher first identifies the theme of the lesson (“The Role of Railroads in the
Expansion of the Texas Frontier”) and then guides students to the website pages & sections to be read outloud in
turns. (Relevant paragraphs of readings are provided next to the title of each section in the outline, noted as (§1-4)
for paragraphs 1-4.)
As different aspects relevant to the theme are revealed during the reading, students point them out and teacher
lists them in the outline. In the example below, the bolded entries are provided by the teacher, and the nonbolded are to be identified by the students, which the teacher then enters into the outline, at times guiding
students to discover them. (It is not critical that all elements be mentioned by students, nor to list them in the order
given in the key, which strictly follows the sequence of the readings.)
Upon completion of an Interactive Lecture lesson, teacher can provide students with a copy of the hardcopy
outline that the class created.
Example:
The Role of Railroads in the Expansion of Hill County
I. Railroads Come to Town (all) – (Everyday Life: Railroads Come to Town)
A. The largest growth of Hill County was in the 1880’s, with the arrival of the railroad.
B. Population of the county in 1860 was 3,653; it grew rapidly during the 1880’s, to 27,583
in 1890.
C. Cotton farmers settled around communities on the railroad so that they would have an
easy mode of transportation for their crops.
D. There were 5000 cotton farmers in Hill County by 1910.
II. The Houston and Texas Central Railroad (the ‘Tin Can’)
E. Built a line from Waco through Hill County to Cleburne.
F. Purchased land for town sites along the right-of-way.
G. In 1879, Whitney became one of the first railroad boom towns.
H. It was named for Charles Whitney, brother-in-law of J.P. Morgan, a principal stockholder
in the railroad.
I. Promised to deliver corn to the hungry Hill County residents when the crops failed in
1880.
J. Aquilla had the first train depot built, in 1879.
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The Railroad Comes to Town
III. The Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad (the ‘Katy’)
K. Built two lines running north & south through Hill County in 1881, connecting Hillsboro to
Dallas and to Fort Worth, much as I-35 does today.
L. Established the towns of Itasca, 10 miles north of Hillsboro, and Abbott, 10 miles south.
M. Itasca’s depot is a museum today, and Hillsboro’s depot is open to the public with
railroad artifacts and photos.
N. Pulled off a pre-arranged head-on train collision as a publicity stunt in 1895, entitled the
“Crash at Crush.”
IV. The St. Louis & Southwestern Railroad (the ‘Cotton Belt’)
O. Extended its line from Corsicana to Waco, running through the southeastern part of Hill
County.
P. Founded Hubbard along the Cotton Belt line.
Q. Mt. Calm, a small community in Limestone County, moved a mile north into Hill County
to relocate on the railroad.
R. Built a railroad spur from Corsicana to Hillsboro in 1888 and established a station at
Mertens.
S. The small town of Brandon moved one mile to relocate on that railroad.
V. The Santa Fe Railroad
T. Crossed the northwestern part of the county in 1881.
U. Established the town of Blum.
V. The Trinity and Brazos Valley railroad (the ‘Boll Weevil’)
W. Built a station at Malone in 1904, just two miles west of Walling.
X. Osceola, Covington and Bynum moved to that railroad.
VI. The International-Great Northern (the “I. & G. N”)
Y. Built a loop in 1902 through Walling and the new towns of Irene, Penelope and Birome.
Z. Businesses in Walling finally moved to Malone since the two towns were just two miles apart
VII. Overview of railroads’ impact – [bottom of Railroads webpage]
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
172 miles of railroads in the county
Agriculture economy was greatly improved
Many new towns were established
Some towns relocated to the railroads
Towns bypassed by the railroads lost their churches and schools
Bypassed towns include Fort Graham, Massey, Jessie, Blanton, Files Valley, Peoria, Vaughn,
Woodbury, Rienzi, Towash and Iverson.
VIII. The Interurban Texas Electric Railway - [bottom of Railroads webpage]
A. Established in 1913
B. For passenger transportation
C. Used to commute for work, shopping and visiting in Dallas, Waco and Waxahachie
IX. Non-Electric Service - [bottom of Railroads webpage]
A. Primarily a rural freight line
B. Railroad began to suffer with decline of agriculture
C. World War II brought new demand for shipping and transportation in late 30’s & early 40’s
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D. Demand declined again at end of war with end of gas rationing and less need of public
transportation
X. Last Big Demand for Railroads in Hill County – Whitney Dam - [bottom of Railroads
webpage]
A. Following WWII, the construction of the dam that had been delayed was reinstated in
the late 1940’s
B. Building of Whitney Dam temporarily revived rail service to Whitney, until its
completion in 1950.
C. Passenger service to Whitney was discontinued in 1950
D. The depot was torn down in 1962
E. In 1967, the final train passed through Whitney
F. At about that same time, all train service in the county substantially declined.
XI. Effect of Railroads on the Postal Service (§2) – (Everyday Life: Neither Snow…nor Mud tab)
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
The town of Whitney grew up overnight in 1879.
The cause of the growth was the arrival of the railroad.
A positive effect of the railroad was the growth of towns on the rail line.
A negative effect was the gradual death of communities not on the rail line.
Postal services in communities not on a rail line closed up and moved to towns on a rail
line.
XII. Effect of Railroads on Hillsboro Economy – Webpage: Hillsboro City Library (§1) – (under
“Places” tab)
A. Cotton was the mainstay of local economy.
B. In 1881, the MKT (Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad) came to Hillsboro.
C. Between 1885 and 1891, the population of Hillsboro nearly doubled from 1,800 to
3,500.
D. The railroad enabled farmers to ship their cotton to all points of the country.
E. That improved the local economy tremendously.
D. Hillsboro became a regional trade center.
E. By 1912, the population almost doubled again, to over 6,000.
F. A building boom led to the building of the town’s fifth Post Office.
G. That grand building eventually was repurposed as the current Hillsboro City Library.
XIII. Bond Pharmacy (§1-3) – (under Places tab)
A. The Bond Drug Store, started in Hillsboro in 1881, is billed as “Texas’ Oldest Pharmacy.”
B. Dr. William Bond, a former surgeon in the Confederate Army, established the pharmacy.
C. Drugstore located on the south side of the Courthouse square.
D. The drugstore was the official railroad time-keeper.
E. Engineers, brakemen and railroad personnel set their time pieces by time.
XIV. Carver Homestead (all) – (under Places tab)
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
th
In December, 1945, President James Polk signed Texas into statehood (28 state).
In the same month, Eliphas Spencer built a log cabin.
Horsetrader Colman Carver married Emmeline, Spencer’s daughter, after the Civil War.
He enclosed the log cabin into a larger house.
The Spencers became the “Rockfellers of Whitney and Central Texas.”
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The Railroad Comes to Town
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After his death, Emmeline Spencer and her son, Charles, added the 2 story & front
porch to the house.
G. The homestead endured on the unprotected frontier, then the farmlands, through
industralization and the arrival of the railroad, and today in a small Texas town.
XV. Crash at Crush (all) – (under Events tab)
A. A publicity stunt in 1895 by the MKT “Katy” Railroad featured a staged train crash
B. Proposed by passenger agent William George Crush, it took place in a temporary town
named “Crush, Texas” in a shallow valley just south of the town of West.
C. Highly advertised around central Texas
D. A big circus tent, carnival midway, bandstand, restaurant, and grandstands were
erected.
E. Bargain train fares from anywhere in the state were offered.
F. $40,000 spectators arrived on 33 fully-loaded trains.
G. The crash that was thought to be safe to spectators actually caused two fatalities and
many injuries.
H. Texan-born musician Scott Joplin wrote a piano piece to commemorate event.
The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS):
7.1 History. The student understands traditional historical points of reference in Texas history. The
student is expected to:
7.1A Identify the major eras in Texas history, describe their defining characteristics, and explain why
historians divide the past into eras, including Natural Texas and its People Age of Contact Spanish
Colonial Mexican National Revolution and Republic Early Statehood Texas in the Civil War and
Reconstruction Cotton, Cattle, and Railroads Age of Oil Texas in the Great Depression and World
War II Civil Rights and Conservatism Contemporary Texas.
7.6 History. The student understands how individuals, events, and issues shaped the history of Texas
from Reconstruction through the beginning of the 20th century. The student is expected to:
7.6A Identify significant individuals, events, and issues from Reconstruction through the beginning of the
20th century, including the factors leading to the expansion of the Texas frontier, the effects of
westward expansion on American Indians, the buffalo soldiers, and Quanah Parker.
7.6B Identify significant individuals, events, and issues from Reconstruction through the beginning of the
20th century, including the development of the cattle industry from its Spanish beginnings and the
myths and realities of the cowboy way of life.
7.6C Identify significant individuals, events, and issues from Reconstruction through the beginning of the
20th century, including the effects of the growth of railroads and the contributions of James Hogg.
7.6D Explain the political, economic, and social impact of the agricultural industry and the development
of West Texas resulting from the close of the frontier.
Content Delivery
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The Railroad Comes to Town
Geography. The student uses geographic tools to collect, analyze, and interpret data. The student
is expected to:
7.8A Create and interpret thematic maps, graphs, charts, models, and databases representing various
aspects of Texas during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
7.8B Analyze and interpret geographic distributions and patterns in Texas during the 19th, 20th, and 21st
centuries.
7.9
Geography. The student understands the location and characteristics of places and regions of
Texas. The student is expected to:
7.9C Analyze the effects of physical and human factors such as climate, weather, landforms, irrigation,
transportation, and communication on major events in Texas.
7.10
Geography. The student understands the effects of the interaction between humans and the
environment in Texas during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. The student is expected to:
7.10A Identify ways in which Texans have adapted to and modified the environment and analyze the
positive and negative consequences of the modifications.
7.10B Explain ways in which geographic factors such as the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the Dust Bowl,
limited water resources, and alternative energy sources have affected the political, economic, and
social development of Texas.
7.12
Economics. The student understands the factors that caused Texas to change from an agrarian to
an urban society. The student is expected to:
7.12B Trace the development of major industries that contributed to the urbanization of Texas such as
transportation, oil and gas, and manufacturing.
7.20
Science, technology, and society. The student understands the impact of scientific discoveries and
technological innovations on the political, economic, and social development of Texas. The student
is expected to:
7.20A Compare types and uses of technology, past and present.
7.20C Analyze the effects of various scientific discoveries and technological innovations on the
development of Texas such as advancements in the agricultural, energy, medical, computer, and
aerospace industries.
7.21
Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information
acquired through established research methodologies from a variety of valid sources, including
electronic technology. The student is expected to:
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7.21B Analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships,
comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions,
and drawing inferences and conclusions.
7.21C Organize and interpret information from outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including graphs,
charts, timelines, and maps.
7.22
Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is
expected to:
7.22C Transfer information from one medium to another, including written to visual and statistical to
written or visual, using computer software as appropriate.
7.22D Create written, oral, and visual presentations of social studies information.
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